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Aug 16, 2017

Helpful (2)

Buyer In Training Interview

Anonymous Employee in Chicago, IL

Accepted Offer

Negative Experience

Difficult Interview

Application

I applied online. I interviewed at CarMax (Chicago, IL).

Interview

Very intense interview process that correctly identifies management traits but not functional expertise required by Buyers. The interview process has a lot of personality or personal opinion built into the interviewer which can skew the job offer.

Interview Questions

Describe a time you went above and beyond the call of duty for a customer? Answer Question

Other Interview Reviews for CarMax

Buyer In Training Interview

Anonymous Employee in New York, NY

Accepted Offer

Neutral Experience

Average Interview

Application

The process took 2+ weeks. I interviewed at CarMax (New York, NY).

Interview

45 minute questionnaire as part of application, another 45 minute questionnaire at the store to determine your ethics and morale, an interview with two current peers, another interview with two more peers, another interview with the Manager and senior Buyer, and finally an interview with the regional manager.

Interview Questions

Name a time when you had to deliver bad news to a customer. Answer Question

Buyer In Training Interview

Anonymous Interview Candidate in Mount Juliet, TN

No Offer

Neutral Experience

Average Interview

Application

The process took a week. I interviewed at CarMax (Mount Juliet, TN) in March 2017.

Interview

Very long interview process. Phone interview first followed by a panel interview. They really delve into your past work. They go back seven years. They are supposed to do a background check and drug test. From past reviews I have read they do the drug test there but after my panel interview I never has the drug test. I think that was a bit of an indication that I was not going to be made an offer.

Interview Questions

Tell us about a problem you have encountered and how you dealt with it? What was the end result? Answer Question

Buyer In Training Interview

Anonymous Interview Candidate

No Offer

Negative Experience

Difficult Interview

Application

I applied online. The process took 5+ weeks. I interviewed at CarMax in January 2017.

Interview

The entire process took 36 days! I applied online. Received phone interview about a week later. Kind of hard interview as the questions were open ended about previous workplace ("tell me about a time when you failed to implement a project in a previous job and what were the ramifications?) Phone interviewer was very polite. After the 35 min phone interview I got another in-store interview planned a week later for the store I applied to. The day before the interview the recruiter called and said the position was no longer available at the location I applied to but another location was available. While it was a 45 min commute, I was still up for it. I took a computer test, filled out paper work, had short interview followed by a interview with 2 senior buyers. They were friendly. The questions they ask can be found on glassdoor. I studied them for 3 days so I would be prepared. This interview process took 2.5 hours. The recruiter called me an hour later and told me how well I did on the interview and the 2 buyers had recommended me for the job. At this point I was told I would just have to talk to the senior buyer of another store on the phone as a formality and she would call me back.Received phone call later and said I would have to fully interview again at another store. So interviewed again a week later with the senior buyer, took another test, answered similar fairly difficult interview questions, and finally a drug test. The buyer told me how he was impressed with my answers and background. We joked a lot. I left thinking I got the job for sure. 3.5 hour interview.

This is where it turns unprofessional. The buyer I interviewed with said someone would get back to me in a few days. A week when't by and nothing. I sent a thank you email and asked about the status. No response. It took 13 days to get the robo-rejection email. 13 days!The entire process took 36 days and about 30 hours of my time.

Pro's:-I was told the position paid between $42-$50K/year with a $5k bump once you got promoted to buyer.-Job didn't seem hard.-It was not sales

Cons:-Crazy hours. You get 1.5 weekends off per month. Have a varying schedule. You might have to work till 10pm getting home at almost 11PM based on the predetermined schedule.

-The facility was run down and depressing. There were competitors picketing outside to buy your car cheaper than carmax would pay.

-It's retail-no work life balance

I won't be buying a car from carmax ever and will tell all my friends and family to steer clear of this place.

On a side note, the interviewer asked questions that are technically illegal. (Are you married? Do you have kids? Are you hispanic?)

Buyer In Training Interview

Anonymous Employee in Houston, TX

Accepted Offer

Positive Experience

Easy Interview

Application

I applied online. The process took a week. I interviewed at CarMax (Houston, TX) in July 2016.

Interview

4 hour interview. One panel with two senior buyers and one with a purchasing manager. Simple behavioral questions mostly. Set in an open environment. Very friendly demeanor. Mom-probing questions. I believe they want to view your communication skills for the most part. As long as you can carry a good conversation you should be able to maneuver pretty easily around questions asked of you.

Buyer In Training Interview

Anonymous Interview Candidate in Norwood, MA

No Offer

Negative Experience

Easy Interview

Application

I applied online. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at CarMax (Norwood, MA) in May 2016.

Interview

Phone interview for about 30 minutes with a recruiter, very basic questions. Then had you complete an online security type survey of 150 questions. Then about a week later scheduled an interview with 2 managers at one of their locations. When I walked in for this 8 am interview, I first had to fill out another online informational survey as well as several background check authorizations. One of which included a social security earnings statement, which is a first. Afterwards they said they would have the first interviewer meet with me. I then sat for over a half-hour waiting for this person, who then showed up with a mug coffee in her hand (so she probably decided to take a break and make we wait) and said she would be with me in a moment. This totally turned me off. I later informed the recruiter of this experience, which I know probably turned him off. I still took the high-road and emailed this same company recruiter a thank you letter and he responded with a terse one-line email "I don't know anything yet and will let you know when i do". Real unprofessional response in my book considering this experience. So no surprise that they later turned me down. Company needs to get their act together in attracting and conducting a positive interview experience, they lost a possible future customer. I was totally turned off by this experience and would never recommend them., nor would I consider them when looking for an automobile.

Interview Questions

When was a time you failed to meet a deadline and what did you do? Answer Question

Buyer In Training Interview

Anonymous Interview Candidate in Laurel, MD

No Offer

Positive Experience

Difficult Interview

Application

I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at CarMax (Laurel, MD) in May 2016.

Interview

Approached via LinkedIn by recruiter. First completed online process of resume loading and job history etc., as well as lengthy psychological questions evaluation online as well. Then they called to say they wanted to go to the "Next Step" to an in-person interview. The computer did not interact easily due to the number of moves I have had for the background check info as they require 7 years of addresses and only allow 3 spaces for previous addresses. The CarMax Supervisor fudged my length of residence for me to get it to accept my addresses, which concerns me that this will make them assume I provided false information. Aside from that there was another set of psychological eval questions to complete on a computer onsite. Then I interviewed with a single buyer, then with a pair of buyers, then with another pair of buyers. They were all very pleasant and the interview process, though intense was not a problem as I have significant retail experience from which to draw examples of how I dealt with different problems, issues, situations. The background check will be thorough as they review social security info, credit history, criminal history, etc. Waiting to hear back. As I said, I enjoyed this interview, but it would have been intimidating had it been my first interview out of school.

Interview Questions

Give me an example of how you went about and beyond to provide excellent customer service. Answer Question

Buyer In Training Interview

I applied online. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at CarMax (Dallas, TX) in April 2016.

Interview

Applied Online - Phone interview first round. Recruiter missed the scheduled time. Fortunately, her phone number and extension were in her email signature from her confirmation of the scheduled time. After a little more than two hours, when my patience was up with waiting for her to call, I called her and she admitted to her mistake in putting it on her calendar incorrectly, excusing herself because she was overworked and couldn't keep straight what time zones her candidates were located in. No apology for wasting my time waiting on the call nor for me having to call her to find out what was missed. And she had the gall to try to reschedule for a time later that same day, as if I hadn't already spent enough time waiting on her to do the job she was paid for. Such an extreme lack of professionalism is inexcusable in the first impression a company is making with a potential team member, and I considered withdrawing my application right then. I instead politely asked if it would be possible to proceed with the phone screening while I had her on the phone and she had my information pulled up in front of her, and she complied.

The interview was fine, though at least half the time was spent asking about my annual salary at past positions, which I was not at liberty to discuss. Two basic "tell me about a time when" types of questions, and she did grudgingly give me the opportunity to ask some questions about the position, though she didn't seem to have a lot of information to offer in response. We discussed the openings in my area and she said it was great that I was flexible in location and willing to relocate. She said she would reach out to the stores themselves because she didn't know if they still had openings or if they were already filled and it'd take about a week for them to get back to me so they could schedule an interview if they had any openings available. Keep in mind, the three stores relatively near to me all had these openings posted on their website. At this point, I had written them off as a waste of my time, especially since there were other employers showing much greater professionalism in their recruiting process.

After I had a phone interview, an in-person interview, and received a tentative offer from another employer, pending background check which I know will go just fine, I finally received an email from this recruiter saying they were not proceeding with my application at this time, but encouraging me to re-apply in the future. I wouldn't recommend anyone waste their time applying with a company that clearly does not value professionalism or commitment in their employees, especially if the resulting disaster is due to the company overworking an employee to the point of failure.

Buyer In Training Interview

Anonymous Employee in Sacramento, CA

Accepted Offer

Positive Experience

Difficult Interview

Application

I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at CarMax (Sacramento, CA).

Interview

30 min phone screen with a regional recruiter.Approx 3 hr in-person process. I was not warned ahead of time, and was concerned, as I had another interview later that afternoon.First panel is background questions to verify there were no lies or omissions on application.Second panel with senior manager with "tell me about a time..." questions.Third panel with another senior manager with similar, more management based questions.Lastly, spoke with the purchasing manager about next steps.On follow-up visit, completed skills test, drug test, & was offered position, but pay was vague in initial offer. I had to clarify pay and benefits. They expected a yes or no answer without that info being given to me.

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